Massive fireball after train, 18-wheeler collision burns down barn, leaves several families’ homes heat-damaged
by: Billy Gates, Wes Wilson, Jala Washington
Posted: Feb 23, 2021 / 08:31 AM CST/ Updated: Feb 24, 2021 / 10:25 AM CST
CAMERON, Texas (KXAN) — A train and an 18-wheeler collided Tuesday in Milam County, sending a ball of flames and thick black smoke into the air. It was a situation that could have been much worse, but the fire did not reach a train car carrying hazardous material.
“There were some hazardous materials a little farther back, so by the grace of God we were saved on that one,” Milam County Sheriff Chris White said.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said according to the railway company, BNSF Railway, 10 railcars were carrying coke coal, plastic pellets, gasoline and fiberglass. Waco region staff monitored the air and didn’t detect any volatile or organic compounds downwind of the fire. There were no impacts to nearby bodies of water.
The crash took place at a railroad crossing on Farm to Market Road 2095 near Cameron at 6:40 a.m. Tuesday. The train crew and truck driver weren’t hurt.
“It sounded like a tanker, like a pressure cooker, like ‘psh ka-boom!,'” explained Mark Tyhusrt, who lives right by the train tracks. “Big giant flames at least 100 feet in the air.”
About 13 of the 110 train cars derailed. Five of those cars were carrying gasoline and caught fire, according to officials.
“BNSF showed up pretty quick and disconnected and moved the hazardous cargo out of range of the fire,” White said. “The train was carrying in the front compartments coal and gasoline and so that’s what caused the huge fire and all the smoke.”
The crash did cause a house to burn down nearby, but everyone got out safely.
“We do have some elderly people that we’ve evacuated from their homes, and it does appear that one home has burned that was close to the tracks, but other than that, everybody seems to be safe and good,” White said.
Only people right by the accident scene were part of a mandatory evacuation. Others had a voluntary evacuation.
“The cars started backing up on each other, smashing,” he said. “We looked outside, and there was a huge explosion. I busted out the camera, started taking pictures, and then we were asked to evacuate, so we left,” Tyhurst said.
A train and 18-wheeler collided on FM 2095 near Cameron on Tuesday. While the wreck resulted in a huge fireball emitting thick, black smoke, no injuries were reported. (KXAN photo/Frank Martinez)